Site Search Navigation

Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

Drogba Provides Hope for Fans of Chinese Club

By John Duerden August 29, 2012 12:38 pmAugust 29, 2012 12:38 pm

Peter Parks/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesDidier Drogba, right, and Nicolas Anelka are beginning to show what they can do for Shanghai Shenhua, but there have been reports of a franchise power struggle, putting their futures in doubt.

The first sight that Didier Drogba encountered on a Chinese soccer field was a familiar one. As Shanghai Shenhua’s newly introduced substitute waited for the second half to start, he shared a smile and a word with Aiyegbeni Yakubu, Guangzhou Fuli’s recently acquired striker.

The two African stars had also been on opposite sides just two months earlier, as their former clubs Chelsea and Blackburn met on the last day of the English Premier League season, and here they were on a steamy July evening in the south of China. National television caught the exchange between the two men, then panned to the stands where Marcello Lippi was deep in conversation with Philippe Troussier. On the respective team benches sat Shanghai Coach Sergio Batista, Diego Maradona’s successor as coach of Argentina, and Sergio Farias, the Brazilian who won the 2009 Asian Champions League with the South Korean team Pohang Steelers. It really did seem like the start of a new era for Chinese soccer.

Yakubu probably smiled again after witnessing Drogba’s first touch in competitive Asian soccer. It was an outrageous statement of intent. The Ivorian smacked a 40-meter free kick toward goal, forcing a surprised Yuelei Chang to parry the ball to safety. Drogba, 34, did not stop there. A few minutes later he scored, but the debut goal was ruled out by an assistant who became the first Chinese official to get the glare, the shake of the head and the wagging of the finger. It was soon forgotten as Drogba set up the equalizer with a perfect slide rule pass through a packed defense. Shanghai got a point from a tough away game.

It was only a 1-1 tie but it meant much more. Shanghai’s other marquee man, Nicolas Anelka, who had struggled with just two goals in the first 13 games and was starting to fall out with the club and its fans, seemed much happier with his former Chelsea colleague around to take away the attention and perhaps the pressure. Chinese teammates seemed in awe of the new man, but there he was high-fiving and hugging before the second half started. As the game progressed, he encouraged those who made mistakes and congratulated those who did not. There was a leader on the field, and it was a welcome sight for fans who had started to despair as a season that had promised so much became such a disaster.

As negotiations started between Drogba and Shenhua earlier in the year, it was not expected that by the time he stepped off the plane at Pudong Airport on July 14 to a rapturous welcome from hundreds of waiting fans, he would be walking into a relegation battle.

He arrived as the man who had handed Chelsea the UEFA Champions League title in his last act at the club and was greeted as a savior. The Blue Devils, the club’s hardcore supporters group, were not the only ones who could not really believe that Drogba was coming.

They are accustomed to disappointment. Since 1995, Shenhua may have lifted one national championship, but it has finished second no less than eight times. Despite a midtable finish last season, the signing of Anelka in December had many talking of a place in the top three and the 2013 Asian Champions League.

The early season optimism did not last past a first 45 minutes. If early results were disappointing, performances were worse. Soon, Coach Jean Tigana was on his way back to Europe. For a time the fact that Anelka was reported to be his replacement symbolized the chaos swirling around the club.

Drogba’s arrival, coming as it did with the club in 14th position out of 16, has improved everything. Since he took the field, Shanghai has tied five of the last six and won the other. It may be solid rather than spectacular but a little bit of solidity is what this teams needs despite the huge salaries paid to Drogba and Anelka.

“This is not a golden exile,” Drogba told members of the French news media this week. “It’s a career choice. I assume it perfectly. And I know I can bring something to my new club. It would have been easier for me to stay in Europe, but I chose China. Money is not the most important [factor]. I am here for a whole new experience. I am not here to retire.”

Drogba’s first league start came in a creditable 2-2 draw at leader and champion Guangzhou Evergrande and then the high point of the season was a 5-1 win over local rival Hangzhou. Drogba scored twice in front of almost 25,000 fans — the biggest crowd of the season and a continuation of the trend in increased attendances since the player arrived.

Last weekend both Drogba, now with four in six games, and Anelka got on the scoresheet for the first time, and there is a feeling that had they been together since the start of the season then the top three and the Asian Champions League would not be far away. As it is, all that will have to wait until next season.

Drogba said he would definitely be around then. He talks of a legacy and helping to improve relations and connections between Africa and China, but his first achievement has been to bring the team together and provide hope for the fans. That may not be exactly what the club’s flamboyant owner, Zhu Jun, had in mind when he started spending, but it is a big step in the right direction.

Now there are reports that a row among shareholders at the club — though the Chinese soccer media are not the most reliable — may mean the departure of Drogba and Anelka. That would be a shame. They are just starting to show what they can do.

What's Next

About

Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans.